On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:37:56 -0400 "George Murphy" <gmurphy@raex.com>
writes:
> A sidebar on this: IMO an institution that doesn't give earned
> doctorates
> doesn't have business giving honorary ones. I realize that this
> would
> remove one way that some colleges reward big donors but so it goes.
>
> Shalom
> George
> http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/>
This is a great idea, but its implementation has a probability
approaching zero. The practice of any institution claiming to be a
college granting doctorates is of long standing. Bucking long precedent
is close to impossible. How about adding (purely wishful thinking) the
removal of degrees from diploma mills? I know of one pastor who lists, if
memory serves, 23 "earned" doctorates--I think one is legitimate. A
friend, now deceased, was the best educated pastor in town--Th.M. from
Yale. But he was the only pastor in that town without a doctorate. I
think of a chap with an "earned" doctorate. I knew the professor (and
girlfriend) who supervised his dissertation. On his application for
employment, under "Publications," he entered "/Time/, /Life/," etc. She
had a legitimate doctorate from a recognized university, taught at a
college in addition to being on the faculty of the "university." If I
recall correctly, some years ago there was a flap about a graduate from a
large university who could not read well enough to fill out an employment
application. He had been a football star.

Along with the problems of pseudo-academics, I may add the places where,
if you send in a check, you get a certificate of ordination. A bigger
check is required to become a bishop. The ordination is recognized by
state governments.

But I still wonder about Habermas' statement. Michael, do you have any
contact with Monarch Publications that can enlighten us about Emmanuel
College, Oxford, which I did not locate using Google, and about the
granting of honorary degrees for publications? I ask this because I have
special pull with Universitas Michaelitis Musculus in the issuance of
degrees. My urologist, for example, received the D.P.H. (Dolorem
Procreantis Hominibus--giving pain to men).
Dave
Received on Tue Oct 18 15:23:09 2005